Connector terminal and electric connector

Abstract

A socket terminal includes front and rear terminals. The front terminal includes a front contact-point portion that wipes off foreign material adhered to a terminal surface of a plug terminal. The rear terminal includes a rear contact-point portion that contacts the terminal surface wiped by the front contact-point portion. The socket terminal also includes a movable portion between a circuit-board connection portion and circuit board. The movable portion cancels a reduction in impedance of at least the front terminal and rear terminal for a transmission signal flowing from the circuit-board connection portion connected to the circuit board. This can provide a socket terminal allowing the rear contact-point portion to contact the terminal surface from which foreign material has been wiped off, and allowing impedance mismatching at a terminal transmission path to be eliminated; and to provide an electric connector including the socket terminal.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A connector terminal comprising:
 a circuit-board connection portion that is connected to a circuit board; 
 a terminal portion that contacts a terminal surface of a mating connector; and 
 a base end portion that supports an end of the terminal portion, 
 wherein the terminal portion includes a front terminal and a rear terminal, the front terminal including an elastic portion and a front contact-point portion, the elastic portion of the front terminal extending in a cantilever manner from the base end portion in a fitting direction in which a connector is fitted to a mating connector, the front contact-point portion being supported at an end of the elastic portion of the front terminal and wiping off foreign material that is adhered to the terminal surface of the mating connector, the rear terminal including an elastic portion and a rear contact-point portion, the elastic portion of the rear terminal extending parallel to the elastic portion of the front terminal in a cantilever manner from an upper edge of the base end portion, the rear contact-point portion being supported at an end of the elastic portion of the rear terminal and contacting the terminal surface of the mating connector that has been wiped by the front contact-point portion, 
 wherein a high-impedance portion is provided between the circuit-board connection portion and the base end portion, the high-impedance portion eliminating impedance mismatching at a terminal transmission path by canceling a reduction in an impedance at least the terminal portion as regards a transmission signal that flows from the circuit-board connection portion at a primary side to the terminal portion at a secondary side, 
 wherein the high-impedance portion is a linear terminal section provided with a bent portion having a transmission length that cancels the reduction in the impedance at least the terminal portion, 
 wherein, in the terminal transmission path, an impedance at a primary-side transmission path is made higher than an impedance at a secondary-side transmission path by the high-impedance portion serving as the terminal section, the primary-side transmission path being formed by the circuit-board connection portion and the high-impedance portion, the secondary-side transmission path being formed by the base end portion and the terminal portion, and 
 wherein the high-impedance portion is adjacent to the base end portion and the terminal portion, and an end portion of the high-impedance portion at a side of the base end portion is directly connected to the base end portion and is close to the terminal portion, so that the reduction in the impedance at the terminal portion is canceled by increasing an impedance at the high-impedance portion before the impedance at the terminal portion is reduced. 
 
     
     
       2. The connector terminal according to  claim 1 , wherein the high-impedance portion is the terminal section that is exposed to outside without being covered by a connector housing. 
     
     
       3. The connector terminal according to  claim 1 , wherein the high-impedance portion is a movable portion that elastically supports the circuit-board connection portion and the base end portion so as to be displaceable relative to each other. 
     
     
       4. The connector terminal according to  claim 1 , wherein the base end portion has a through hole having a height along the fitting direction in which the connector is fitted to the mating connector, the through hole increasing an impedance at the terminal transmission path beyond the base end portion as a result of a reduction in a surface area of the base end portion. 
     
     
       5. The connector terminal according to  claim 1 , wherein the base end portion has a side edge along the fitting direction in which the connector is fitted to the mating connector, and
 wherein at least one of the front terminal and the rear terminal projects sideways from the side edge of the base end portion and, then, bends and extends in the fitting direction in which the connector is fitted to the mating connector. 
 
     
     
       6. The connector terminal according to  claim 1 , wherein a contact pressure of the rear terminal is higher than a contact pressure of the front terminal. 
     
     
       7. An electric connector comprising:
 the connector terminal according to  claim 1 ; and 
 a housing that accommodates the connector terminal. 
 
     
     
       8. The electric connector according to  claim 7 , wherein the housing includes a stationary housing to which the circuit-board connection portion is secured and a movable housing to which the base end portion is secured, and
 wherein the high-impedance portion elastically supports the stationary housing and the movable housing so that the movable housing is displaceable relative to the stationary housing. 
 
     
     
       9. The electric connector according to  claim 7 , wherein the housing includes a space portion that exposes the high-impedance portion to air without contacting the high-impedance portion.